German opposition, Scholz on war path over demands for cooperation on delayed confidence vote

Admin l Saturday, November 08, 2024

 

BERLIN – Following the collapse of the governing coalition, Christian Democrats and Liberals are rejecting the cooperation offered by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the Bundestag.

‘It is high time for the Chancellor to raise the question of confidence in view of his broken coalition. This is a matter of course and is also expected by the citizens,’ said Thorsten Frei, Managing Director of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, in an interview with “Welt am Sonntag”. The upcoming legislative proposals could then be discussed and decided on without delay.

Following the break-up of his traffic light coalition, Scholz had shown himself willing to talk about the timing of a vote of confidence and the subsequent new election, after initially naming 15 January as the date for the vote of confidence.

However, on the fringes of the informal EU summit in Budapest, he called for an agreement in the Bundestag on which laws should still be passed.

SPD names its important legislative plans to the CDU/CSU

SPD General Secretary Matthias Miersch also signalled his readiness for talks with the CDU/CSU in the ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’ – combined with demands. ‘However, we must always take into account the concerns of the Federal Returning Officer and ensure that a fair and properly prepared election is possible,’ said Miersch. And one condition is that the CDU/CSU helps to finalise certain projects before a new election in the Bundestag.

‘Olaf Scholz has offered to come to a concrete agreement with the CDU/CSU on which important projects we can still advance together in the Bundestag – such as child benefit, long-term care insurance and the Deutschlandticket,’ emphasised Miersch. ’If this constructive cooperation is secured, we can talk about the timing of the vote of confidence and the new elections.’

In particular, Miersch called on the CDU/CSU to jointly adopt the pension package with a stabilisation of old-age pensions. ‘Friedrich Merz said at the Junge Union’s Germany Day that he does not want to campaign on pensions: Then let’s fix that and the pension level at 48 per cent. We can decide on the pension package together.’

Liberals find the Chancellor untrustworthy

The FDP once again called on Scholz to quickly clear the way for a new election. FDP Secretary General Bijan Djir-Sarai told the German Press Agency that the Chancellor is now delaying this with reference to national political responsibility.

‘The Free Democrats had made him an offer to bring the coalition to an orderly end together and to finalise time-critical projects quickly. However, he decided otherwise,’ said Djir-Sarai. During the failed negotiations to save the traffic light coalition, Finance Minister and FDP leader Christian Lindner had called for an orderly new election and Scholz dismissed him.

‘The remaining government of the incumbent chancellor now consists of two candidates for chancellor who no longer have a majority in parliament. Our country is without a leader,’ said Djir-Sarai. There is a lack of strength and will to solve the pressing problems and put the economy back on the road to success. The stalemate was irresponsible.

What date for the new election can the electoral officers even manage?

However, Federal Election Commissioner Ruth Brand had appealed to Scholz not to rush his timetable. For organisational reasons, a new election in January or February would be risky, she wrote in a letter to the Chancellor.

On Monday, the federal and state electoral administrators want to meet for an initial discussion of the election preparations.

The office of the Federal Election Commissioner confirmed a corresponding report by ‘Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland’. As with regular elections, there is a need for dialogue, for example on new procedures following an amendment to the Federal Electoral Regulations.